


Shattered Glass

by AlexisOfTea



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Events, Angst, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-10 16:06:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisOfTea/pseuds/AlexisOfTea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During Souji and Yosuke’s second visit in the Shadow World, the former fails to summon his Persona upon contracting Shadows in the Twisted Shopping District. This leads to a slightly different turn of events…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Miscplacing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first real shot at writing a fic -- I apologize if the grammar isn't top notch, English is not my first language and I'm still learning! Hope you enjoyed the read!
> 
> ~Prompt suggested by Nenilein~

Something went completely wrong.

The eerie red sky looming above them made Souji's eyes sting, but perhaps it was the thick fog, that he could feel closing in on them despite the glasses. His heart was thumping in his chest rapidly, partially from running, and partially from distress. Just like last time, a blue card appeared before him, ready to grant him the power of Persona...

But as he reached out to it, it vanished. 

Was it supposed to go like that? Somehow he doubted it, despite not really knowing a thing about this 'other world'.

What were they even thinking, trying to play heroes...? Jumping inside that TV like they could really do something about -anything-...?

The creepy monsters were still following them, last time Souji checked, so he dared not look behind. He tightened the grip on an arm of his classmate and kept dashing forward, trying to find his way around in that place. But with no luck -- they ended up at the liquor store time and time again, and the weird bear thing could barely keep up with them anyway. 

Nevertheless, Souji kept running. As long as he didn't stop, there would always be a way out, -somewhere-.

"Hey, over here!!" the bear yelled, its squeaky voice piercing Souji's ears. He looked over at the direction the voice came from, to see a narrow path ahead. "This is the way out! Hurry!" 

The creature wobbled forward, and Souji followed suit, as the rush of adrenaline pumped energy into his legs. He felt lighter and stronger...!

It didn't take long for them to reach the yellow-tinted place they first arrived at. He sank to his knees, gasping for air, and a second later the bear walked up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Quick, you gotta get out of here before the shadows get here!" it said, and the only thing Souji remembered later was a shove and a vortex of black and white swallowing him...

Then there was a dull thud on the hard, tile floor of the Junes departament store. He half-expected Chie, who's been waiting for them to come back, to simply yell at them, but there was nothing more than a deadpan silence. 

When Souji finally looked up at the girl, he saw an expression of confusion and... was it fear? 

"Chie...?" 

"Souji-kun... where is... Yosuke?", she asked in a shaky voice.

Souji's eyes widened; he first reached his hand to the floor beside him, as if he wanted to check if Yosuke was there by touch, and when the only thing he felt under his fingers was the cold floor, he took to his feet, his face a shade paler. He examined the area around, but the boy was nowhere to be found. 

Before he knew it his hand was already resting on the TV screen...

...but this time, it didn't go through. 

He could hear Chie sliding to the floor weakly.

"Wh.. Souji-kun, what's... what's going on...? Where is he...?"

Where was he indeed...?

\--------------

Yosuke felt something tugging at his shirt; he stirred and his vision started focusing again, and for a moment there he was pretty sure that it was just his mom trying to get him off the bed for school.

But last time he checked his bed wasn't so hard and dusty, and his mom didn't usually try to rip his arm off. 

He jumped to his feet, but with his legs feeling weak and shaky he sat down again, looking around quickly. Where was he? What was going on..?

The shopping district swallowed in a bloody tint smacked his senses right back into him. 

Oh. -Now- he remembered.

But he didn't have much time to ponder, as the monsters ganged up on him once more; he made sure he still had his crowbar, and clenched to it tight, preparing to swing it. 

And yet just a few inches away from him, the monsters stopped, and moments later were already gone, as if they ran away in distress. Was Yosuke actually that terrifying to them? All of a sudden he felt so much better about the whole situation.

"Man, that's still some bullcrap right here..." he muttered as he slowly pulled himself up and brushed the dust off his uniform. He walked to the side of a nearby building (it kinda looked like Tatsumi Textiles but it couldn't have been the real thing, could it?) and tried to collect his thoughts.

He was -sure- that Souji was with him, and was even dragging him along. Why did he let go again...? Yosuke scratched his head, and with the sharp pain it brought along, he remembered. That one time when Souji pulled him along hard, he tripped and hit his head... the guy didn't seem to notice. 

_(Not that it's that much of a surprise.)_

He frowned and shook his head slowly. Weird, it almost felt like he could hear his own voice from someplace other than his imagination. This creepy-ass place was messing with him more than he wanted to admit.  
When he looked at his hand, he noticed some blood -- the bruise on his head must've been a bit deeper than a scratch by the looks of it. Strangely, the sight of the crimson stains didn't make him shudder how it normally would. Must've been the red sky getting him used to it, somehow.

Yosuke sighed thinly and, not seeing any monsters around anymore, he started walking around in search of the way back to where he met that weird bear. It felt like it took just about forever to actually get out of the shopping district and change the scenery, if only slightly.

"Wait, what the...?"

He stopped in his tracks at the sight of the very familiar sign above him.

It read 'Junes Departament Store'.

Yosuke tilted his head in doubt, but the place being the most familiar around, he took a deep breath and walked inside. 

The moment he passed the treshold, the store's music jingle started ringing in his ears, but it felt like the fog was swallowing the music and distorting it. It made him feel extremely uneasy, but for some weird reason he decided to press on, hoping that if he found a TV inside like in the real world, he could just leave through that.

So he walked up the stairs to the RTV section (he didn't dare taking the elevator in this messed up place) and as the doors closed behind him, he felt the whole floor shaking slightly, as if there was an earthquake approaching. He instinctively dropped down on the ground and took cover, but the rumbling ended as suddenly as it started. 

The music in the background faded out, and in the overwhelming darkness, a single TV screen lit up, only showing static at first. Yosuke's eyes turned towards the light, and he slowly got up and walked to it. He could hear many muffled voices at once, one of them being a bit clearer.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?!"

The hazy, distorted image of Saki Konishi gradually appeared on the screen, her expression distant and emotionless.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations!"

Yosuke took a step back. Could this perhaps be his senpai's dad's voice...? 

"Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE, of all places!"

As much as Yosuke felt ashamed to admit it, for a moment there he really wanted to hear Saki say that yes, she met a guy, and that guy was him. But a pang of guilt lanced through him the second he thought that. 

_(Such a selfish little dipshit.)_

The image disappeared from the screen and the voices died down, as the Junes' theme slowly started playing again, sounding even creepier. What was the meaning of all this...? He genuinely thought Saki was having fun at work... sure, she did seem a bit tired, but she never said anything about what her dad was so upset about... This was all so messed up...

The hall he was in was pitch black, save for a very faint glow that seemed to be ways away. He's decided against going in further, and turned around to leave through the door he entered with...

...but as he reached to feel the doorknob, there was none. Just a wall. 

A shiver went down his spine when he desperately tried to find the door, but the task proved futile. He slid to the floor and his his head in his arms.

"Dammit... and my head friggin' hurts, too..." 

The darkness was almost too much to bear for him at that point. His eyelids felt heavy, and slowly, he leaned against the nearby wall and fell in a very tight sleep.


	2. Unease

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fic has a lot of the actual in-game dialogue used, but in different ways most of the time. So I hope you don't get the 'bad' deja-vu while reading -- hope you're enjoying it so far!
> 
> ~Prompt suggested by Nenilein~

Souji couldn’t focus on the lecture at all. The whole day it felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, and instead of taking notes he would tap a pen on his desk, visibly annoying everyone in the classroom. And yet there must have been something in his expression that prevented them from just telling him to stop. In fact, he wasn’t even sure how he was feeling about this, himself. 

The other world. The fog, the glasses, Saki Konishi, the disappearing card…

And Yosuke.

He looked to the side; Chie was pale and a bit out of it, but he couldn’t really blame her. He up and -lost- her friend in some weird alternate dimension. 

…No. Not just -her- friend. Yosuke was -his- friend, too. 

That night the rain was pouring, and he watched the Midnight Channel. He was pretty sure it’d been Yosuke on there, but the image was really hazy and distorted. Of course, he also tried reaching out to him through the TV’s glass… but once again his hand met the cold surface that definitely did not want to let him in.

What went wrong there..? What changed? Do Personas only work once…?

His stomach was twisting and he felt sick. His hand shot up without him even registering it.

“Sensei, I’m not feeling well. May I go to the nurse’s office…?”

Morooka gave him a nasty look.

“Psht. -Fine-, but if I see at least -one- girl from this class entering the office later, I’ll deal with ya personally, whippersnappers!”

Souji bowed his head slightly; he could feel Chie’s gaze resting on him as he collected his belongings and walked out of the classroom. When the doors slid closed behind him, he leaned on a wall, breathing deeply. The reflection in the nearby window was staring right back at him, and the waves of rain watersliding slowly on the glass distorted the reflection.

“…Why didn’t it work…?”, he muttered to himself, pressing his forehead against the window for a good minute, before pulling away slowly and walking out of school.

After a longer moment of wandering around Inaba, he found himself in front of Junes. 

Maybe the TV was just messed up yesterday, maybe his at home was also temporarily broken? It couldn’t hurt to check, and so he arrived at the electronics departament shortly, carefully examining every screen he came across. When he finally reached the one he used last time, he briefly checked if anybody was looking, and then he rested his hand on the glass, closing his eyes to focus. 

But the screen was solid. Not even a hint of anything happening on the other side at all. 

Was that whole thing even real to begin with…? Yosuke was clearly missing, but maybe he just dreamed up that whole deal about the ‘other world’?

The weight of the glasses in his pocket kept assuring him that no, it was all true. But it seemed to have been true for about two days, because now for some reason he couldn’t enter anymore… 

He decided to go home for the day, and, as the heavy clouds were already gathering above his head, possibly watch the Midnight Channel once more.

—————————————-

The sound of shattering glass pulled Yosuke right out of his sleep; the floor was rumbling again and all the TV screens around him started breaking. He immediately jumped to his feet and started running, as the wave of breaking glass seemed to have been following him. The only direction he could make out was towards the faint blue glow, and he mustered up all his strength to reach it.

“Crap, crap, crap!!” 

The glass was falling from above him, too, and he reached the light in just the right time, before the biggest TV in the hall fell over in its entirety exactly on the spot where he stood just a second earlier.

Then, the door appeared out of nowhere and closed behind him, just to vanish into the wall once again. 

“…The Junes theme is getting on my nerves.” he hissed, but it was really nothing he didn’t know before. He almost felt like something chased him out of the previous area for some reaon. 

He tapped the floor around him, searching for the crowbar, and found that it was still there, thank goodness. This hall didn’t seem as dark, either, as a few more screens were lit up this time. But to his horror, the crowd of voices started chattering again, with another clear voice slightly louder…

…but this time it was Saki’s voice. 

“I… never had the chance to say it…”

The lit up TVs displayed a group picture of all the Junes workers they took the other day, yet terribly torn and cut up. The image was flashing, which made Yosuke slightly sick. On the biggest screen, though, there was Saki, looking directly at him.

He stood up and dashed towards it, gently touching her image with the tips of his fingers.

“I’ve… always wanted to tell Hana-chan…”

Yosuke’s eyes widened and he could swear there must’ve been a butterfly in his stomach, as the girl talk often described it as; the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips.

“…That he was a real pain in the ass.”

His knees became weak and he almost fell over at the sound of her words. But she did not stop there.

“I was nice to him just because he was the store manager’s son, that’s all…”

Yosuke felt like someone grabbed him by his throat.

“But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic… What a dip.”

A violent tremor shook Yosuke up.

“P-pain in the ass…?” he said so quietly he hardly recorded his own voice.

“Who cares about Junes anyway?” Saki continued “Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back…”

“No…” Yosuke whispered, the crowbar suddenly heavy in his hand.

“I wish everything would just disappear…” Saki ended, but her voice was followed by the piercing sound of shattering glass, when Yosuke swung the crowbar at the TV screen, breaking it to pieces.

“No, no, NOOOO!!” he yelled, smacking the device before him repeatedly, and stopping only when he got so tired that he couldn’t stand up anymore.

His eyes felt stingy, so he rubbed them, but that didn’t help much.

“Senpai… Senpai’s not like that…” he muttered, his throat still squeezed tight. He dropped the crowbar to the floor and curled up on the floor, trying to convince himself that the warmth on his cheeks was not caused by tears.


	3. Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Prompt suggested by Nenilein~

Souji was sitting in front of the TV in his room, the pouring rain outside the window creating a somewhat soothing atmosphere. But he couldn’t relax. He felt like midnight couldn’t come fast enough, as his fingers tapped on his knee furiously. 

But just moments later, the clock ticked the time away and the screen lit up with static. Souji jumped to his feet from the couch and pulled closer to the TV, focusing on it immensely. In a while, the image focused, and a silhouette apeared.

It was Yosuke, his back turned on the viewer, and the background being a huge hall filled up with TVs of different shapes and sizes, the Junes theme blaring out of the speakers. 

But it was not the cheery tune he knew from the mall, it was dark, twisted and distorted…

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Junes!”

Yosuke turned to face the TV screen, looking normal as ever, except for… has it been that huge, bright smile that was putting Souji off? Sure, Yosuke was a cheery guy, but this kind of smile seemed odd, even for him.

“A place where all your dreams come true! As you all know, every day’s great at your Junes!” he gestured around himself, showing off the asortiment. “That’s right! Everyone’s dreams come true here!”

“…Everyone’s, but mine.” he said in a low voice, a dark grin on his face as a crack appeared on one of the TVs next to him. “After all, I’m not really living my own dream. More like my old man’s, right?” Two more TVs cracked. “What is his dream? You’ll find out soon! Tune in next time to ‘Junes Confessions’!”

Souji could hear the sound of cracking glass one last time before the image on the screen blacked out. He frowned deeply, and just when he was about to avert his eyes from the TV, the static started buzzing once again. His eyes widened as just a few seconds later, his own face appeared, looking back at him, almost as if he was looking in the mirror.

Except his reflection’s expression was high and mighty, with his head held just a touch too high... and eyes eerily yellow.

“What the…” he muttered, and the reflection’s lips did not follow. It just stared at him, right into his eyes, piercing him through.

“…What does this mean?” 

“It didn’t go the way I wanted.” the reflection suddenly spoke, its voice eerie odd, but Souji’s own, nonetheless. “It worked the first time, why not the second?”

Souji froze in place, a cold shiver running down his spine.

“I’m so poor, I finally had the chance to show everyone how strong I am, and then it was taken from me!” the reflection wiped an imaginary tear from its eye theatrically “That one time they all looked up on me with awe as I summoned my Persona… I felt so powerful and superior.”

“Truth be told, I’m more worried about having lost my power, than about Yosuke” 

Souji slid to the floor, something tightening in his chest. He felt dizzy, and yet… and yet he couldn’t quite deny what the voice from the TV was saying. He looked up on the screen, his reflection still staring right back at him. 

“I do want to save him, though.” it continued “I haven’t known him very long, but I think we will get along really well. But…”

“…But without my power, I can’t do anything to save him.” Souji said, and noticed he was saying the same thing as the reflection, word for word. The other Souji on the other side of the screen paused and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“You’re right. I’m… ashamed to admit it, but all you said was true.” Souji said calmly, standing up slowly. “As much as I worry for Yosuke, I worry more about being stripped from the power that was given to me for such a brief moment… because without it, I can’t hope to do anything on the other side, I can’t just barge in there with a golf club again and get killed before I even find him.”

“…I need my Persona back… because I need to save him.” he concluded, only really realising it fully himself for the first time. The feeling that something felt more precious than another person was a thorn in his side for almost two days now… and as he finally pieced together why he even felt like this, it was a huge relief.

“You… you are me, isn’t that right?” he asked, putting one hand on the screen. 

The reflection did the same thing, before nodding. And a brief moment later, Souji could have sworn he felt the warmth of a hand on his own, half a second prior to his other self disappearing in a ray of light.

Souji closed his eyes and felt the warm light engulfing him, filling him with power and strength…

…and this very moment his fingers sank through the glass and his whole forearm was soon inside the TV. 

When he opened his eyes, the sight was no surprise; he sighed deeply, relieved, pulling his hand out and layed on the floor, a smile on his face as he quickly drifted into sleep, with a strong resolve of going to the TV world the next day.

And saving Yosuke.

——————————————

Yosuke was staring at the ceiling, his expression blank as he was laying on the floor, the crowbar next to his hand. His hand was stinging with pain due to pieces of glass piercing through it during his earlier outrage, but he paid little attention to it. 

Saki’s words wouldn’t stop echoing in his head, and that was just draining all what was left of his energy. He was so sure… -so- sure that she at least -liked- him to some extent… but that she thought he was a pain in the ass…? That was.. just a little too much. 

He felt his lip tremble and he put his hand over his eyes. 

_“It’s… *sniff* so sad… I feel so sorry for myself… Boo hoo…”_

Yosuke immediately sat up, a cold shiver running down his spine as he looked around, his eyes widened. He was absolutely sure he heard his own voice…

…but he never opened his mouth to speak.

He was trembling as he pulled himself up from the floor, the crowbar shaking in his hand. 

_“Actually, I’m the one who thinks everything’s a pain in the ass. Hahaha…”_

The ground started shaking, just like it did before, and Yosuke saw a dim light on the other end of the corridor; he dashed towards it, dodging the glass falling from the cracking TVs all around him. As soon as he reached the next area, the one behind him closed off with a wall, but he paid no heed to that, as something else consumed his full attention.

This next room was a much larger one, shaped like a square, TVs lined up next to every wall and stacked up all the way up to the ceiling, with one, biggest TV standing in the middle of the room, giving out the dim light Yosuke saw from afar. 

He was breathing heavily, only now realizing that he was trapped in that very room, all alone… but that voice… it couldn’t have possibly…

_“…been mine? Well, guess what, moron, it is.”_

Yosuke noticed motion behind the TV in the middle; his grip on the crowbar tightened as he approached it slowly, craning his neck to see…

…and then the sound of the crowbar rattling on the floor filled the air, as he himself looked back at him with a dark grin, and eyes shining yellow in the darkness.

He immediately dashed back a few steps, his gaze fixed on his double as he desperately tried not to faint.

“W-wh… Y-you… I… I would not think any of that…!” he said, his voie oddly rasped, as if someone was holding him by his throat.

The ‘other him’ walked out of the shadow and stood in front of the TV, the light from the display engulfing him as he glared back at Yosuke with his terrifying yellow eyes.

 _“Hahaha… Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?”_ it asked, its arms crossed over the chest — a pose Yosuke knew was his own. And the voice was as well, strangely distorted, but nevertheless - his own.

 _“Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You’re sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!”_ it continued, taking a step forward, closing in on Yosuke, who, for his part, was frozen in place, eyes wide opened. 

“W-what are you saying…? That’s not true, I—”

Before he could finish, the eerie figure was another few steps closer to him, so close he could reach him with his hand if he wanted to. 

And that was the last thing he wanted.

 _“You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky ‘cause you’re so terrified of being alone”_ , said other Yosuke, putting on a theatrical pout and wiping off an invisible tear. _“The more the merrier, right?”_

Two more steps closer.

_“You’ve gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation.”_

Another few steps; Yosuke’s legs were shaking intensely, the crowbar in both his hands before him, as if he tried to shield himself with it.

_“And what’s this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai’s sake?”_

Suddenly there were hands on his shoulders, closing in a tight grip, his other self’s face right in front of his as he stared into his eyes, the yellow tint of his irises making him feel sick to his stomach.

But he was too terrified to move even an inch.

 _“I know the real reason you came snooping…”_ the voice hissed in his ear.

“S-stop it…!” Yosuke whispered, his eyes catching a glimpse of the TVs on walls litting up and a crowd of muttering voices filling the air gradually.

_“Hahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe… I DO know everything you’re thinking!”_

Yosuke felt a rough shove and moments later he was on the floor, the crowbar sliding across the room away from the two of them, as his other self leaned over him, grinning.

 _“Why’s that…? Because I AM you!”_ the figure called.

That’s when Yosuke’s sanity decided that it can’t quite take this all anymore. Everything went blurry and then black, as his head rested on the floor, his glasses falling from his face to the side, while last of his consciousness slipped away to the darkness.


	4. Restraint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Prompt suggested by Nenilein~

“Souji-kun!” Chie called, as soon as she spotted him by the school gate. “T-the Midnight Channel…!”

He turned to look at her, and it was clear that his attitude was entirely different from the day before that. He looked confident and calm, a soft smile on his face as Chie approached him.

“I know. Don’t worry, Chie. As soon as classes are over, I’m off to Junes.” he said as he turned to enter school, his friend following suit. 

“I wanna come, too!” she said sternly “Can’t just let you barge in there again like that, you guys could use some help!”

Souji frowned and pondered for a while. On one hand he thought he -could- use her help, but on the other… he didn’t quite want to endanger another person. Not when Yosuke was still there. 

He needed to be sure that he could protect her, too, first.

“We’ll see about that. The bell will ring soon, we’ve gotta step on it.” he said and kicked up the pace; last thing he needed was Morooka getting on his case in the morning. Chie, for her part, didn’t look exactly pleased with his answer, but for now she had to comply. She decided she would tag along to Junes anyway, and see how it plays out after they get there. 

Neither of them could really focus on the classes. Souji would mostly stare out the window, looking at the rain slowly sliding down the glass, and he would also feel his stomach twisting slightly at every teacher’s noting of Yosuke’s absence. He still felt completely responsible for the whole mess. 

After all, had he only held more firmly to his hand back then… 

He shook his head. No point in dwelling on it. What needed taking care of was getting Yosuke out of there, and fast. And so, as soon as the last bell rang, he grabbed his bag and dashed out of school, not even bothering to use his umbrella; Chie was right behind him, but actually making effort not to get soaked from the rain.

Junes welcomed them like any other time, with a cheery tune and warm, inviting light. They didn’t waste a second — in a few moments they were already in the TV aisle, next to the screen they used before. After making sure that no one is actually watching, Souji gave Chie one last questioning look, and as she replied with a nod, he turned to the TV and moments later, after a short trip through the black and white vortex, the were back in the studio-like place.

They were not alone there - the weird bear from before was running in circles and flapping his arms about, yelling things from time to time, like 

“They’re going to kill him, too!!” and “I couldn’t do anything, it’s all my fault!!”

Chie ran along to Teddie, in an attempt to calm him down; he only really did upon seeing Souji — his eyes shone as he clung to the boy, wailing.

“Sensei!! I’m sorry!! I-I couldn’t get inside that place at all!! But he’s there, my nose can bearly make out the scent, but I know he’s there!”

Souji kneeled down by the bear, now wiping his eyes, before patting it on the head.

“Hey, it’s okay, Teddie. We’re here now. Just shows us the way to where Yosuke is, and it’ll all be fine.” he smiled, and the bear returned the expression after a short while of doubt. 

“Y-ya think? O-okay.” he nodded and tugged at Souji’s sleeve, leading him towards where Yosuke supposedly was. The boy picked up the golf club he had abandoned the last time he’d been there, being armed only with the very item and his glasses.

It didn’t take long for both Souji and Chie to realize just where they were being led to.

“It’s… Junes!” Chie gasped at the sight of the building, not that much different from the one she knew from everyday, save for the eerie black and red vortex in place of the door.

The vortex, Souji noted, was all kinds of creepy… but at the same time strangely inviting. He stared into it for a longer moment, and reached out his hand to touch it…

…just in time for a black, gooey arm to spring out of the vortex, wrap itself around his wrist and pull him inside.

Chie screamed as she dashed to try and grab Souji before he vanishes, but she was too slow — his fingers slipped right from before her own, and the vortex turned into a solid wall as soon as Chie’s friend disappeared.

Teddie started jumping around in panic.

“The shadows are getting fierce…!! I-it’s not safe here anymore, Chie-chan!! W-we’ve got to run back!!” 

“Wha— hey, what gives?! We can’t leave them here!!” she called, but she was already being pulled away by the bear towards the yellow studio area. 

“Nononono!! They’re going to eat us if we stay here!! Sensei… sensei can do it! I believe in him!!”

Chie widened her eyes and followed along without another word. He beleived in him… so soon? They barely knew each other, and yet the bear had such utmost trust in Souji…

…who, for his part, was trying to collect himself from the floor, and avoid the sludgy monsters crawling all around the hall, attacking him to the tune of Junes theme, which sounded odd, distorted and terrifying.

Like a background music of a horrific nightmare.

He swung the golf club around himself, reaching a few shadows and chasing them away effectively for the time being — he didn’t want to resort to  
Izanagi just yet. Instead, he adjusted his glasses and dashed ahead, through the corridors filled with TVs up to the ceiling, each screen buzzing with static.

Occasionally, he would hear a muffled voice, a laugh, a scream…

And each time he heard it, he would run even faster.

It was Yosuke’s voice.

———————-

A distant sound of something heavy being dragged on the floor slowly made Yosuke stir and in a few moments he came to, just to almost pass out once more from the shock.

He was being dragged across the floor, his hands immobilized by a tangle of TV cables. His vision was blurry due to the fog, he noticed, and felt that the glasses were not on his face; despite that, he could still see that it was his other self dragging him, occasional gleam of his golden eyes leaving a glare on his vision.

 _“I don’t think we quite finished, me.”_ the double said, grinning through the fog, as he let go of Yosuke, leaving him laying on the floor. The boy tried to wriggle himself out of the cables, but the knot was too tight, so he quickly gave up, instead proceeding to crawl away from the other guy, only then remembering all the glass pieces stuck in his hands. 

The other Yosuke kneeled beside his original, tapping his head lightly.

 _“Awww, look at’cha… crawling away like a worm. Don’t you wanna hear why you really came here? You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole?”_ he laughed, sending a shiver down Yosuke’s spine, and a sharp pain shook him up as his other self pulled him up slightly by his hair, staring right into his eyes.

_“A world inside the TV — now that’s exciting! You didn’t have a single other reason for coming here, did you?!”_

“That’s not true…” Yosuke moaned, something tightening in his chest “Stop… stop it…”

His other self dragged him up closer, their noses almost touching.

_“You’re just trying to act like a big shot… If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero!”_

Yosuke, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes, squeezed them shut, trying his hardest to free himself.

_“And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!”_

This was the last straw; Yosuke yelled furiously, kicking the other Yosuke away with his knee.

“That’s not true!!” he screamed, throwing himself at the double, but his opponent dodged him easily, which resulted in Yosuke slamming his face  
on the floor, undoubtedly shattering his nose to a bloody pulp.

He moaned, tears obstructing his vision effectively; he tried looking around to locate his double, and so he did — the glare of yellow eyes right in front of his own.

“W-what are you…? Who are you…?!” he whispered painfully, taking little notice of the pool of blood forming around him.

What he heard in response was a chilling chuckle.

 _“I already told ya. I’m you… Your shadow… There’s nothing I don’t know about you!”_ he replied in a low voice, right into his ear.

Yosuke’s anger built up inside him once more as he tried to push the Shadow away.

“Screw that! I don’t know you!!” he hissed, attempting to free his hands once more “You can’t be me, you son of a bitch!!” he yelled, slamming his elbows into his other self and finally taking to his feet, and running towards the other end of the room.

The Shadow stood up slowly, his eyes cold and empty, but a terrifying grin on his face at the same time. 

_“Oh, what defiance… yes… yes, defy me some more!!”_ he called, and the TVs around them started getting cracks on their screens as the other Yosuke dashed towards him, closing in on him by a second.


	5. Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Prompt suggested by Nenilein~

“Izanagi!!” Souji called, releasing his Persona’s power and zapping the surrounding enemies with a lightning strike, before dashing ahead, trying to find a safe spot and catch a breath.

It’s been proving harder and harder to progress through that maze; and it seemed like there was no end to it, either. He came across a small, empty room, and sunk to his knees, supporting himself on the golf club, breathing heavily.

As he looked at the floor, he noticed a few drops of blood, and touched his face to find a cut on his cheek. Nothing too deep or life-threatening, but it gave him another rush of adrenaline, enough to give him strength to pull himself up again and run further inside this haunted rendition of Junes.

Yosuke’s been here for much longer, all alone, with just that darn crowbar, and nowhere to run to. Souji wasn’t even all that certain that… that he was still—

A shadowy hand rose from below the floor and grabbed his ankle, which resulted in him slamming on the ground, unable to free himself for a longer moment.

_“Where’s that -hero- now?! WHERE!?”_

A distorted, but still all too familiar voice rang throughout the halls, and it almost felt like the floor shook for the briefest moment. 

Souji’s heart was thumping in his chest as he kicked the shadow away and picked himself up again, running as fast as he could, the words he’s heard moments before still echoing in his ears.

Was it really… really Yosuke?

In a while he came across a hall slightly different from the previous ones — the TVs were smashed to pieces, especially the biggest one on the side. Still, despite them being broken beyond repair, the shattered glass was still projecting images; it took Souji a minute of pondering before he pieced the images together and realized just who was showing there.

Saki Konishi.

“What happened here…?” he muttered to himself, but another scream made him snap out of his thoughts.

_“Face it! He doesn’t give two shits about you! Who would risk their life to save -you- from a place like this?!”_

Souji’s eyes widened, but he hesitated no longer than a second, before bracing himself and running forward again, to the tune of that horrible, twisted Junes theme and an occasional painful scream that would give him goose bumps every single time.

On his way he’s passed by more signs of someone’s earlier presence — generally all sorts of damage to the TVs, dents in walls, even ceiling… he tried to convince himself that what little he’d seen of the red stains scattered across the area was anything but blood.

His feet were aching and he was short on breath, but he had a feeling he was getting closer and closer.

…if only judged by how much more clearer all the voices had become, much to his dismay.

_“Oh, now that’s rich, you thought you actually had -real- friends in this boring-ass place! What, those village idiots? Who are you trying to fool, you don’t even fit in here! You should just go the hell back to the city!!”_

This time, the voice was just around the corner; Souji was standing in front of a huge TV screen, and what he saw looking through it made him freeze in place.

There was another TV in the middle of the room, static flashing on the screen along with various images — some showing Yosuke being younger, some of Inaba and even some of Souji himself.

And next to the TV there was the actual Yosuke, laying on the floor…

…with -another- Yosuke standing above him, his eyes flashing yellow so bright Souji could see it from the distance he was at.

Something tightened in the boy’s stomach at the sudden realization — it must be like what’s happened to him before, when he saw his other self in the TV.

And then another thing hit him:

Yosuke was not moving.

It took less than a fraction of a second for Souji to swing the golf club at the glass separating him from his friend; breaking through it was another matter entirely. Only after a long moment of smashing the club against the screen did the crack appear and Souji kicked his way in, the glass ripping the fabric of his school uniform.

The Shadow standing above Yosuke slowly turned to look at the intruder, his expression slightly bored.

_“Aww, how’s that supposed to be fun when this guy’s out cold when the ~hero~ arrives?”_ he sighed, crossing his arms across the chest and nudging Yosuke with his shoe lightly…

…before grinning and landing a fierce kick on him afterwards.

_“Wake up, princess, someone’s in your castle, moron!!”_ he laughed.

Souji felt a weird mix of emotions — on one hand he was extremely relieved that Yosuke was supposedly still alive, and at the same time he felt furious, to the point that he didn’t quite record his legs moving as he ran towards the Shadow and swung the club at him.

The Shadow dodged the attack easily, and from the side a weak cough could’ve been heard as Yosuke trembled and looked up at his friends, his eyes hazy.

“So… Souji…?” he whispered, somehow making out his friend’s silhouette in the blur that was his vision. “Y-You came for… me…?”

“Yosuke!!” Souji called, his heart lighter as he tried approaching him, but then there was a sharp pain in his back and he collapsed, the Shadow standing behind him with Yosuke’s crowbar in his hand.

_“Heh… look at this asshole getting here just like -that-.”_ The Shadow hissed, staring right into Yosuke’s eyes.

“SHUT THE HELL UP!!” the boy cried in response, throwing himself towards Souji, shaking him intensely, his hands still bound by the cables. Souji moaned in response, the dull pain rendering him immoblized.

_“Oh, if anyone needs to shut up it’s -you-, crybaby.”_ the Shadow narrowed his eyes _“It’s not like you’re not -jealous- of him.”_

Yosuke’s eyes widened and suddenly he felt like all energy in him was gone. He slid to the floor, right next to Souji, curling inwards, as if he tried to hide from everything.

“Shut up… shut up, that’s not true, that’s not true… You’re not me…” he whispered so quietly that even Souji who was inches away from him could barely hear it.

_“What’s that? I can’t hear you~”_ the Shadow sang, grinning like a maniac. _“Say it again…!”_

“YOU’RE NOT ME!!” Yosuke yelled so loud that Souji’s eyes snapped open immediately.

And blood chilled in his veins as he saw the Shadow laughing hysterically, engulfed in a bright, blue light…

…and as light faded, there was a frog-like monster in the middle of the room, still laughing, still with Yosuke’s voice. A quick glance towards his friend made him aware that Yosuke’s passed out, and he had a feeling that he would not be woken as easily as before…

_“I am a shadow… the true self.”_

The Shadow spoke and pounded at the ground right next to where Souji was; he jumped to his feet, golf club in his hand, as he took on the fighting stance, dashing away from unconscious Yosuke to protect him from further harm.

The monster followed Souji’s movements, pounding at him again, with a laugh.

_“I’ll crush everything that bores me… starting with you!!” it called, charging towards the boy._


	6. A Great Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Prompt suggested by Nenilein~

Souji knew better than to stand in place; he ran towards the way he entered, to the broken TV screen, but he was too slow.   
The Shadow was obstructing his path before he knew it, swaying side to side, before jumping in the air and, upon hitting the floor again, sending a wave of air towards the boy.

The golf club was not enough to shield himself from the attack and Souji got knocked down, but wasted little time picking himself up again and finally focusing to summon Izanagi by crushing the ethereal, glowing card in front of him.

The Persona swung its huge sword at the Shadow, slamming it fiercely, before casting a Zio spell upon Souji’s command. What occurred afterwards was another burst of laughter from the enemy as it first toppled over briefly, and then reached out and grabbed Izanagi in its huge palm, smacking him against the TVs lined up on the wall.

For the first time Souji felt just how connected he was with his Persona; all the pain Izanagi felt, he felt as well, doubling over on the floor, trying to support himself on the golf club.

_“That’s it?! Booooring!!"_ the monster laughed, charging to send another wave of air flying towards Izanagi, but this time Souji was faster. He ordered his Persona to cast a thunder upon the Shadow, and at the same time he dashed towards it, getting ready to swing the club with all his might.

Both attacks connected, and the Shadow slid to the floor, to scream furiously not a second later.

_“You’re getting to be a real -pain-!!”_ it swung one of its hands at Souji, with full intention of smearing him against the wall.

The boy was not as fast as before — the motion caught him by surprise and Izanagi was just a touch too far to effectively shield him…

…but suddenly, Souji felt a fierce push on his side and lost his balance; as he was falling to the floor, he noticed a familiar silhouette standing right where he was mere seconds ago, and then he saw that very person taking the Shadow’s hit that was intended for him.

Before he could even begin to pick himself up, he witnessed the friend he came to rescue getting smacked against the wall and then slowly sliding to the ground.

Souji’s heart skipped a beat; he could hardly recall the moment he took to his feet and ran towards Yosuke. He kneeled by his side, Izanagi taking care of the Shadow for the time being, and pulled him up slightly, not entirely sure what he was even trying to accomplish.

“Yosuke…?”

No response.

“H-hey… wake up…! YOSUKE!!” he shook his friend slightly, but the result was the same.

A laugh resounded in the room, piercing through Souji’s ears like needles.

_“SO WEAK!! CAN’T EVEN STAY ALIVE TO WITNESS THE HERO’S DEMISE!!”_ the Shadow laughed, but it was still wrestling with   
Izanagi, trying to push its way through to the two students.

Souji lowered Yosuke’s head carefully, before pulling himself up slowly, the golf club shaking in his hand as he turned to look at the Shadow, his eyes firing up with fury.

Izanagi shot a glance at him, before jumping to back him up; Souji dashed towards the monster, golf club ready to swing, screaming furiously. His Persona was mimicking his every move, and as they reached their opponent, they attacked simultaneously, accompanied by a rumbling thunder spell.

This proved to be just enough for the Shadow to yell in agony, as it sank to the floor without any control of its limp body. The monster facade disintegrated into darkness, and only its previous form remained, immobilized and utterly defeated.

Souji paid no more heed to the Shadow; he turned back and dashed to Yosuke, attempting to wake him up again by shaking him even harder and calling out to him.

After a moment, which to Souji seemed like eternity, Yosuke coughed weakly and his eyes opened slightly; he looked at his friend and smiled faintly.

“Heh… sorry, man… I-I… took my time…”

Souji breathed a deep sigh of relief, and returned the smile; he saw in a corner of his eye that Yosuke’s Shadow was suddenly right next to them, but it was calm, and was just looking at them, as if it’s been… waiting for something.

At the sight of his double, Yosuke started shaking, clinging to Souji’s sleeve.

“No… you’re not—”

But then there was a reassuring hand on his shoulder; as his friend shook his head.

“It’s alright Yosuke.” he said softly, looking at the Shadow again. “I think this… Shadow came from you. And you just… have to accept it.”

The boy bit his lip, hanging his head slightly, avoiding all eye contact; it sounded easier than it really was…

“Don’t worry.” Souji whispered “You’re still yourself.”

“Myself…” Yosuke sighed, closing his eyes for a moment “Dammit… it hurts… facing yourself.” He then looked at the Shadow and met its unwavering gaze.

“I knew it wasn’t lying… But I was so ashamed that I didn’t want to admit it…” he said quietly, his voice shaky “You’re me… and I’m you. When you get down to it, all of this is me.” he finished, and at this very moment, the Shadow nodded softly and dissolved into light, just to reassemble as another figure entirely, a figure resembling Izanagi to some extent…

…and then it turned into a card, that disappeared in the bright particles, engulfing Yosuke.

“This… is my Persona…” he smiled and turned to look at Souji, who returned the smile and nodded.

“Let’s get out of here.” the boy said, putting the golf club aside and helping Yosuke up; his friend didn’t quite have the stamina to keep himself standing, let alone walk, so they had to come up with some way to transport him out of there.

Souji pondered for a while, before nodding to himself and kneeling next to Yosuke, his back turned to him.

“Hop on.” he said easily, reaching back with his arms, ready to pull his friend up.

“W-what? No way I’m letting you carry me!” Yosuke shook his head, but that only made him feel dizzier.

“Shut it. You’ll just treat me to some steak when it’s all over. Cool?” Souji replied, smiling softly. “Get on with it, I bet you’re starving yourself.”

Yosuke could not argue with such a statement. He sighed and carefully climbed onto his friend’s back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, not to fall off.

Souji smiled again, and started walking towards the exit, glad to see that along with Yosuke obtaining his Persona, all the smaller shadows disappeared, at least for the time being. He also noticed that the Junes theme was no longer dark and twisted, but was the cheery tune that they both knew.

Without even noticing, he first started humming the song, and before he knew it he was singing along to it, in a soft, soothing voice.

Yosuke, for his part, was half-asleep during the trip out, but he was smiling the whole way, his heart lighter and calmer than ever.

And the thought that there was actually someone out there who would carry him on their back, just because they cared enough…

That thought was enough for him to finally believe the department store’s theme lyrics.

They were at Junes.

And, in the end, despite everything that’s happened…

…Yosuke thought it was a great day.


End file.
